Art. III. — Australian Mosses, enumerated by 

 William Mitten, Esq. 



[Contributed 20th April, 1882.] 



Less than two years ago the great bryologist, Dr. Edward 

 Harnpe, then at the venerable age of eighty-five years, 

 responded most kindly to a wish of mine, to place together 

 systematically the names of all mosses of continental 

 Australia, which had become known to him either from Jarge 

 material out of my own collections for nearly thirty years, 

 or from any other bryologic sources accessible to him. 

 Death soon subsequently closed the researches of this Nestor 

 in botanic science, and the list above referred to was 

 therefore his last contribution to that branch of knowledge, 

 which he had leadingly advanced since more than half a 

 century. Dr. Hampe's record having been published in the 

 eleventh volume of the Fragrnenta Phytographicw Australia?, 

 along with enumerations of different Australian evascular 

 AcotyledoneaB by other masterly specialists, I was eager to 

 supplement the bryologic index also with those Tasmanian 

 species, which are not known to occur in continental 

 Australia, and also with any other mosses, which would be 

 additional to those of Dr. Hampe's record. A request made 

 for this purpose to the foremost of bryologists in Britain, 

 William Mitten, Esq., who already twenty years ago had 

 aided much in the elaboration of the mosses for Sir Joseph 

 Hooker's Flora Tasmania?, met with a most ready response. 

 Accordingly, he has now enumerated all the Australian 

 species known to him, either from literary works or from 

 collections accessible in Britain. Meanwhile, to close the 

 eleventh volume of the Fragrnenta in 1881, a supplement 

 to Hampe's list, compiled by myself, had passed through 

 the press ; and it devolves therefore on me to see otherwise 

 early publication given to Mr. Mitten's fuller writings, 

 particularly as the manuscripts were placed by him 

 unreservedly at my disposal. I beg therefore, to submit 

 these pages to the Royal Society of Victoria, the mosses of 

 our own colony being dealt with in these writings also, and 

 some additional notes of localities given by myself. I may 



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